Product Code Database
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and Lancashire to the west. The city of Leeds is the largest settlement.
The county has an area of and a population of 2.3 million, making it the fourth-largest ceremonial county by population. The centre of the county is urbanised, and contains the city of Leeds in the north-east, the city of Bradford in the north-west, Huddersfield in the south-west, and Wakefield in the south-east. The outer areas of the county are rural. For local government purposes the county comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, and Wakefield, which collaborate through West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The county was created in 1974, prior to which the area was within the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The western part of West Yorkshire is in the South Pennines, and contains a small part of the Peak District National Park. It is characterised by steep valleys and is the source of the River Calder, which flows past Wakefield before meeting the River Aire, which flows through Leeds, near Castleford. The landscape becomes flatter in the east, and the eastern boundary of the county is on the edge of the Vale of York.
Remnants of strong coal, wool and iron ore industries remain in the county, having attracted people over the centuries, and this can be seen in the buildings and architecture. Several railways and the M1, M621, M606, A1(M) and M62 motorways traverse the county.
| Leeds City Centre |
| Birkenshaw |
| Morley |
| Wakefield |
| Bradford City Hall |
| Halifax Town Hall |
| Huddersfield Town Hall |
| Leeds Civic Hall |
| County Hall, Wakefield |
West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and its five districts effectively became unitary authorities. The metropolitan county, covering an area of , continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference.
Since 1 April 2014, West Yorkshire has been a combined authority area, with the local authorities pooling some functions over transport and regeneration as the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The first Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, was elected on 6 May 2021, following a devolution deal announced by the government in the March 2020 budget.
The conurbation of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds and Wakefield makes up the West Yorkshire Built-up Area, which is the fourth-largest in the United Kingdom and the largest within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire.
In Parliament, 13 out of 22 of West Yorkshire's MPs are Labour and 9 are Conservative. At local level, the councils are generally divided, apart from the Wakefield district, which has long been one of the safest Labour councils in the country.
Some services are provided across the county by West Yorkshire Joint Services and the West Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also county-wide.
The carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys in the outer fringes of the Pennines. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and recently landscaped former spoil heaps. The scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country. Ribbon developments along transport routes including canal, road and rail are prominent features of the area although some remnants of the pre industrial landscape and semi-natural vegetation still survive. However, many areas are affected by urban fringe pressures creating fragmented and downgraded landscapes and ever present are urban influences from major cities, smaller industrial towns and former mining villages. In the Magnesian Limestone belt to the east of the Leeds and Wakefield areas is an elevated ridge with smoothly rolling scenery, dissected by dry valleys. Here, there is a large number of country houses and estates with parkland, estate woodlands, plantations and game coverts. The rivers River Aire and Calder drain the area, flowing from west to east.
West Yorkshire is an amalgamation of 53 former local government districts, including five county boroughs and ten municipal boroughs. | Bradford | Bradford | Keighley | Baildon • Bingley • Denholme • Ilkley • Queensbury and Shelf •Silsden • Shipley | Skipton |
| Calderdale | Halifax | Brighouse • Todmorden | Elland • Hebden Royd • Queensbury and Shelf • Ripponden • Sowerby Bridge | Hepton | |
| Kirklees | Huddersfield • Dewsbury | Batley • Spenborough | Colne Valley • Denby Dale • Heckmondwike • Holmfirth • Kirkburton • Meltham • Mirfield | ||
| Leeds | Leeds | Morley • Pudsey | Aireborough • Garforth • Horsforth • Otley • Rothwell | Tadcaster • Wharfedale • Wetherby | |
| Wakefield | Wakefield | Castleford • Ossett • Pontefract | Featherstone • Hemsworth • Horbury • Knottingley • Normanton • Stanley | Hemsworth • Osgoldcross • Wakefield | |
West Yorkshire was formed as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, and corresponds roughly to the core of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire and the county boroughs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, and Wakefield.
West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council.
The county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services.Redcliffe-Maud and Wood, B., English Local Government Reformed, (1974) In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished. The functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs; joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport; and to other special joint arrangements.Kingdom, J., Local Government and Politics in Britain, (1991) Organisations such as the West Yorkshire Police (governed by the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner) continue to operate on this basis.
Although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff.
| +The county's boroughs | |||
| 366.42 | 523,100 | 1,346 | |
| Calderdale | 363.92 | 200,100 | 545 |
| Kirklees | 408.61 | 401,000 | 975 |
| 551.72 | 761,100 | 1,360 | |
| 338.61 | 321,600 | 949 |
| +The county's settlements by metropolitan borough ! Metropolitan borough | Other places | |
| City of Bradford | Bradford City Hall, Bradford | Addingham, Baildon, Bingley, Burley in Wharfedale, Cottingley, Crossflatts, Cross Roads, Cullingworth, Denholme, East and West Morton, Eccleshill, Eldwick, Esholt, Great Horton, Gilstead, Harden, Haworth, Ilkley, Keighley, Manningham, Menston, Oakworth, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Riddlesden, Saltaire, Sandy Lane, Shipley, Silsden, Stanbury, Steeton, Thornbury, Thornton, Tong, Undercliffe, Wibsey, Wilsden. |
| Calderdale | Halifax Town Hall, Halifax | Bailiff Bridge, Boothtown, Brighouse, Copley, Cragg Vale, Elland, Greetland, Hebden Bridge, Heptonstall, Hipperholme, Holywell Green, Luddendenfoot, Mytholmroyd, Norwood Green, Rastrick, Ripponden, Rishworth, Shelf, Shibden, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden |
| Kirklees | Huddersfield Town Hall, Huddersfield | Almondbury, Batley, Birkby, Birkenshaw, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dalton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Emley, Golcar, Gomersal, Hartshead, Hartshead Moor, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Honley, Kirkburton, Kirkheaton, Linthwaite, Liversedge, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield, New Mill, Norristhorpe, Roberttown, Scammonden, Shelley, Shepley, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite, Thornhill |
| City of Leeds | Leeds Civic Hall, Leeds | Allerton Bywater, Beeston, Boston Spa, Collingham, Garforth, Guiseley, Harewood, Harehills, Headingley, Holbeck, Horsforth, Hyde Park, Gipton, Kippax, Kirkstall, Ledsham, Ledston, Methley, Middleton, Morley, New Farnley, Otley, Oulton, Pool-in-Wharfedale, Pudsey, Rothwell, Rawdon, Scarcroft, Scholes, Stourton, Swillington, Walton (Leeds), Wetherby, Yeadon, Woodhouse |
| City of Wakefield | West Riding County Hall, Wakefield | Ackworth, Alverthorpe, Castleford, Crigglestone, Crofton, Durkar, Fairburn Ings, Featherstone, Ferrybridge, Fitzwilliam, Hemsworth, Horbury, Knottingley, Newmillerdam, Normanton, Nostell, Ossett, Outwood, Pontefract, Ryhill, Sandal, Sharlston, Stanley, Walton (Wakefield), West Bretton, Wrenthorpe |
| White: White British | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,798,413 | 86.5% | 1,746,295 | 78.4% | 1,693,845 | 72.0% |
| White: White Irish | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18,859 | 0.9% | 14,910 | 0.7% | 13,893 | 0.6% |
| White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,660 | 0.1% | 2,311 | 0.1% |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,982 | 0.2% |
| White: Other White | – | – | – | – | – | – | 25,541 | 1.2% | 56,953 | 2.6% | 87,321 | 3.7% |
| Asian or Asian British: British Indians | – | – | 29,352 | 36,762 | 42,430 | 2.0% | 53,152 | 2.4% | 62,407 | 2.7% | ||
| Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | – | – | 60,803 | 84,978 | 122,210 | 5.9% | 189,708 | 8.5% | 250,497 | 10.7% | ||
| Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | – | – | 3,845 | 6,344 | 8,213 | 0.4% | 15,632 | 0.7% | 20,099 | 0.9% | ||
| Asian or Asian British: British Chinese | – | – | 2,912 | 3,969 | 5,734 | 0.3% | 10,783 | 0.5% | 12,516 | 0.5% | ||
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | 3,279 | 4,771 | 7,320 | 0.4% | 22,272 | 1.0% | 27,209 | 1.2% | ||
| Black or Black British: African | – | – | 2,236 | 2,634 | 4,216 | 0.2% | 24,685 | 1.1% | 47,888 | 2.0% | ||
| Black or Black British: Caribbean | – | – | 13,088 | 15,552 | 14,409 | 0.7% | 15,581 | 0.7% | 15,588 | 0.7% | ||
| Other Black | – | – | 5,446 | 6,949 | 2,146 | 0.1% | 6,210 | 0.3% | 8,781 | 0.4% | ||
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11,263 | 0.5% | 20,827 | 0.9% | 23,573 | 1.0% |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1,842 | 0.1% | 4,624 | 0.2% | 7,756 | 0.3% |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8,049 | 0.4% | 15,098 | 0.7% | 21,014 | 0.9% |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3,927 | 0.2% | 7,577 | 0.3% | 12,604 | 0.5% |
| Other: British Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 9,212 | 0.4% | 11,515 | 0.5% |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | 4,639 | 0.2% | 10,879 | 0.5% | 28,780 | 1.2% | ||||
West Yorkshire grew up around several industries. Wakefield, Castleford, Pontefract and South and East Leeds were traditional coal mining areas.
The Heavy Woollen District covered towns such as Dewsbury, Batley, Morley, Ossett, Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. The woollen and cloth industries declined throughout the twentieth century.
Leeds is the most popular shopping destination in West Yorkshire, and the wider region, with several notable retail destinations. Briggate and The Headrow are the most important shopping streets, while Trinity Leeds, Kirkgate Market (the biggest indoor market in Europe) and the White Rose Centre are regionally dominant shopping destinations. Victoria Leeds is nationally known for hosting many 'first outside of London' labels such as Harvey Nichols and Anthropologie.
Leeds is also a popular weekend destination for nightlife, with several famous bars and clubs across a variety of different districts. The city's gay village is the largest in Yorkshire.
A wide range of towns and cities are connected by rail to Leeds City railway station, which is the busiest station in northern England and the main national gateway to West Yorkshire. The M62 motorway is the main east-west motorway in the county, connecting the largest towns and cities of West Yorkshire, while the M1 forms a key north-south axis from Leeds to Wakefield and beyond towards London.
Outside of the main cities, signposted walks follow rivers and the escarpment of the Pennines, which is scaled in meandering stages and tunnels by the recreational Leeds-Liverpool Canal and Rochdale Canal, navigable by barge, canoe or kayak. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth in Wakefield are major national art attractions, while Haworth is visited for being the home of the Bronte Sisters. Ilkley, Otley, Hebden Bridge and Holmfirth are popular smaller towns featuring farmer's markets, breweries, tea rooms, stately homes and are popular with hikers.
Unlike South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire has no light transit system; the Leeds Supertram was proposed but was later cancelled after the withdrawal of government funding. Public transport is run under the authority of West Yorkshire Metro.
In October 2021, £830 million of funding was announced for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to develop mass transit for the region.
In 2022, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority won its bids for the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme and Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) scheme, the successful ZEBRA funding will see the introduction of between 179 and 245 zero-emission with the necessary infrastructure whilst the BSIP plan will give the West Yorkshire Combined Authority £70 million out of a desired £168 million to implement the improvements outlined in the authority's BSIP.
Rugby league is also big in West Yorkshire. The teams who are, or have been, in the Super League are Bradford Bulls, Castleford Tigers, Halifax Panthers, Huddersfield Giants, Leeds Rhinos, and Wakefield Trinity. Other rugby league clubs in West Yorkshire include Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Featherstone Rovers, Hunslet Hawks and Keighley Cougars. Any combination of these teams playing against each other would be called a West Yorkshire derby even if the rivalry is not as great as other rivalries between teams in the area. The main rugby union club in the county is Yorkshire Carnegie.
Elland Road is the largest stadium in the area, hosting Leeds United. The Headingley Stadium, a stadium complex also in Leeds, consists of a cricket and a rugby ground. The cricket ground is home of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the rugby ground is home to Leeds Rhinos. In Huddersfield, the John Smith's Stadium is home to Huddersfield Town and Huddersfield Giants. In Bradford, Valley Parade is the home of Bradford City, whereas the Odsal Stadium is the home of the Bradford Bulls. Other stadiums include Wheldon Road (Castleford), The Shay (Halifax), Belle Vue (Wakefield), Mount Pleasant (Batley), Crown Flatt (Dewsbury), Post Office Road (Featherstone), John Charles Centre for Sport (Hunslet) and Cougar Park (Keighley).
There are two racecourses in West Yorkshire: Pontefract and Wetherby.
West Yorkshire also used to host regular speedway meetings, having the Halifax Dukes and the Bradford Dukes teams. Odsal Stadium used to host BriSCA stock cars. Leeds has a hill climb event at Harewood speed Hillclimb.
|
|
